I ventured to see the new Black Panther movie last weekend, and let me be honest, it was a struggle to go.
Now before you try to steal my black card, HEAR ME! I’m not a fan of Marvel movies and the last few movies I tried to watch actually put me to sleep; I went in support of spending time with my ex-husband.
Even with my dislike for the Marvel movies I previously watched, I decided to go anyway to show my support for the Director and Cast of whom were 99% African American.
I decided I would view the movie from a branding perspective and offer my opinion on how the company responsible for the branding and marketing of this event NAILED IT.
1. 6 Months of Bold Marketing
I’m not sure which movie it was but 6 months prior to Black Panther coming out the previews came out. It was VERY dramatic, thought-provoking and timely. I say timely because we have had serious challenges in our country with how African Americans are typically portrayed in the movies as well as how they are at times being treated.
Sitting down watching the movie begin to show, it hit me… THIS IS A BIG DEAL for our country, African Americans and Marvel/Disney is playing this hand WELL!!!
2. Academy Winner & Nominated Cast Members
Now Im not familiar with some of the cast members but when I saw Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong o and the guy that just recently starred in the movie Get Out, I said uh oh…. this is about to be a big deal. Not so much from the storyline perspective because remember I lack knowledge on the Black Panther Character and Marvel as a whole, but from a Branding/Marketing perspective.
NOTE: If you are reading this and you are getting frustrated by the angel of this post, understand, this is about Branding and Marketing. Put on your business hat and continue reading.
These are very STRONG African American individuals on the movie screens and real life. Seeing them in a leading role of this magnitude along side numerous other strong actors and actresses of the same ethnicity was a recipe for a record-breaking weekend.
3. Big STRONG Colors
Watching the movie being marketed all over social media, I found myself super draw to the characters. They made me wonder what role they were set to play in the movie. Although black tends to be the color of the “villain” in most movies, this was the color of Hero’s. Whether you were African American or not, loved Marvel movies or not; just looking at the posters you felt EMPOWERED, AMAZED and as an African American you truly felt PROUD.
During the movie a character appeared in red and immediately she was who I wanted to see throughout the entire movie: Danai Gurira. The moment she appeared on screen I was drawn to her clothing. Typically, when you see the color red on a woman in a movie, she is giving you the feeling of vixen, sexy or love interest, but this time is was a POWERFUL FEMININE STRENGTH. It felt like at that moment, she was telling women, African American women, you can be powerful without screaming, just by walking into a room.
4. Displaying a strong message of UNITY
Prior to the movie being released to the public the cast appeared on the red carpet wearing cultural clothing. This was unique because typically at red carpet movie premiers stars dress up in suits and ball gowns, but this time it was a cultural declaration of: This is not just another movie – This is Unity, THIS is how we should be portrayed without making a statement that appeared “controversial.”
I say controversial because at times in our country, if one group begins to stand for what they believe, it may appear as anti this or that, but this time I didn’t see this.
It didn’t quite feel like #metoo but it felt like THIS IS US! Not the television show, but this is who we are all day everyday. It felt like a powerful statement that wasn’t invasive to other cultures.
As a result of this I’m certain companies selling Cultural Attire have earned more income in a few weeks than they have in a year! I guarantee you, websites have popped up out of no where to capitalize on what began to occur.
OVERALL:
I think the companies responsible for building the Black Panther Brand NAILED IT!!
You’ve not only got the WORLD screaming #wakandaforever, going to the movies 2-3 times in a row, but they have also told the world that when you build a brand the right way, target the right people AND knock the movie out of the park, you can bring in over $235,000,000 in just 4 DAYS!
NAILED IT!!!